MEASURING THE CLIMATE MEASURING THE CLIMATE OF YOUR PROGRAMOF YOUR PROGRAM

Climate assessment undertaken by many in business and industry

Early childhood programs are unique due to funding structures, decision-making hierarchy, professional roles and the nature of the work itself

Most instruments designed for other work settings not practical for us

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?Defines clearly how different dimensions

of centre are perceived by staffClarifies feelings about workHelps explain why and where things are

going wellPromotes better problem solvingIncreases staff involvementGives direction for programImproves overall morale and

performanceTargets areas for staff development

COMPONENTS OF A GOOD COMPONENTS OF A GOOD SURVEYSURVEY

Should have a clear purpose (why and how it will be used)

Should be confidential (scored by a neutral person)

Information about results should be shared

“Without data, you are just another person with an opinion.” – T. F. Kelly –

CONDUCTING AN INFORMAL CONDUCTING AN INFORMAL ASSESSMENTASSESSMENT

Develop it with staff inputForced- response format (yes/no,

multiple questions, or ranking on a scale) OR open-ended questions

Give out at staff meeting or at end of day

Give time deadline for return – 1-2 days works well

Need at least 80% response from staff for helpful results

EARLY CHILDHOOD WORK EARLY CHILDHOOD WORK ENVIRONMENT SURVEYENVIRONMENT SURVEY

Short version (see sample)Formal version is copyrighted and

can not be reproduced to distribute to staff

May be ordered from ($12.00 US per employee) and scored by McCormick Center for Early Childhood Leadership for nominal fee ($30.00 US)

In approx. 4-6 weeks, your program will receive a Work Environment Profile summarizing the data with an interpretation of the results.

WHAT IS THE “BEST” WHAT IS THE “BEST” CLIMATE?CLIMATE?

A healthy organizational climate is typically characterized by high energy, openness, trust, a collective sense of the ability to get things done, and a shared vision

An unhealthy organizational climate can be described as having poor communication, conflict and low staff morale

The best climate is a unique blend that meets the individual and collective needs of all concerned

PERCEPTION SHAPES OUR PERCEPTION SHAPES OUR SENSE OF REALITY!SENSE OF REALITY!

TASK: Look at the images given to you. What do you see?

Not everyone sees things the same, even when they see the same thing!

THE WINDOW FROM WHICH WE LOOK EXERCISE

Our perceptions depend on the perspectives we have when looking at things!

We often make decisions not based on objective facts but on our perceptions of the facts and information

TASK: VignettePerceptions are powerful regulators of

behaviour- taking the time to consider different perspectives can expand our understanding of why people say the things they say and do the things they do!

THREE PERSPECTIVESTHREE PERSPECTIVES

EGOCENTRIC Our own unique point of view,

shaped by our past experiences, values, and education

We are often guilty of not seeing someone else’s point of view and perceive our perspective to be the only valid one

DRIVING DOWN THE DRIVING DOWN THE EGOCENTRIC HIGHWAYEGOCENTRIC HIGHWAY

ALLOCENTRICTakes into account another point of

viewAllows us to feel empathy for others

– to walk in their shoesIt involved deep listening – really

trying to see the world through a different lens

Asking questions can help staff move out of narrow egocentric frameworks

DRIVING DOWN THE DRIVING DOWN THE ALLOCENTRIC HIGHWAYALLOCENTRIC HIGHWAY

MACROCENTRICBeing able to see the big picture –

how one’s actions intersect with others

Is not easily achievedRequires having the capacity to be

part of the picture while being able to step outside the picture and see all the connecting elements

DRIVING DOWN THE DRIVING DOWN THE MACROCENTRIC HIGHWAYMACROCENTRIC HIGHWAY

TASK: Plot on the chart provided where you think your program is in regard to each of the ten dimensions of organizational climate.

Early childhood administrators usually have a good sense of how things are going at their programs, but they also tend to see things through rosier glasses than do their teachers and support staff

HANDOUT: A Comparision of Administrator and Teacher Perceptions of Organizational Climate

WHY?

PARTLY CLOUDY OR PARTLY SUNNY PARTLY CLOUDY OR PARTLY SUNNY – VIEWING THE WORLD THROUGH – VIEWING THE WORLD THROUGH

DIFFERENT LENSESDIFFERENT LENSESIndividuals who hold different positions

in the organizational hierarchy tend to view organizational climate differently

Supervisors tend to view the organization more positively than other staff members

Why? Role differentiation is closely tied to perceived control

Differences in work attitudes have a lot to do with one’s role and corresponding perspective of life at the center

There is no reality, only There is no reality, only PERCEPTION.PERCEPTION.

WHERE TO NEXT?

Simply assessing is not enough; diagnosis and evaluation of the

results NEEDS action!